Firefly/Doctor Who crossover fic: A Different Kind of Companion: A Lesson in History (8/9)
“Matthews is an…” Inara trailed off before she could finish her sentence. At hearing her shocked tone, the Doctor glanced over his shoulder. Inara had propped herself up in the corner and her gaze was far-off. He wished her introduction to aliens had been kinder and not so hastily thrown in her face. Coming from an era where aliens were just a myth, even someone as composed as Inara could only handle so much.
The Doctor looked back to Matthews and fixed the man under a steely gaze. “I invoke the Universal Ratification of the Shadow Proclamation. Identify yourself.”
“I’m not familiar with this authority. Is its name supposed to frighten me?” Like he was examining a piece of machinery, Matthews cocked his head and regarded the Doctor with a detached air.
Not the response he was expecting, the Doctor fell back against the examination table. His wrists ached where the restraints held him down and his back was strained in pain from maintaining an upright position. The after effects of the transmat beam weren’t helping him to form coherent thoughts either. So rarely he felt so physically exhausted from an adventure.
“I’m addressing the entity using Harry Grindell Matthews as host,” the Doctor tried again. “You’re seeding technology on a planet unready for such an advance. You may not recognize the laws of the Shadow Proclamation but I will not let you ruin this planet or disrupt its timeline.”
The grand statement went unacknowledged. “And now you’re an authority of one? A man who believes he has such power is normally called a tyrant. Or do you fancy yourself a god?” Matthews’ tone was in no way mocking, but the Doctor could hear the incredulousness in his voice.
Being strapped to a table presented him with little dignity, but the Doctor spoke his next words with great conviction. “I’m a Time Lord.”
The only perceptible reaction from Matthews was a raised eyebrow. He seemed neither awed nor terrified at the revelation. In the very deepest recesses of his mind, the Doctor was slightly disappointed he hadn’t garnered a greater reaction. The exploits of Gallifrey were legendary, or so they used to be.
“I could never understand why you Time Lords thought you were masters of the known universe.” Matthews began a circuit around the table, forcing the Doctor to twist his neck to follow his movements.
“The universe needs order.”
“Yes, but why you? Because you mastered time travel? Thousands of species can claim that achievement.”
“But we learned from our history. Time travel doesn’t always lead to peace. We policed the universe to prevent others from destroying themselves.”
“Exactly. With the billions of lives out there, you were the only ones to step forward to claim the responsibility. Your people sought out the power because it was there for the taking. You like being in control, deciding the fate that’s best for all.”
“Is what you’re doing any different?” The statement caused Matthews to pause at the opposite corner of the examination table. “You’re guiding this planet down a path they won’t see for centuries. That’s a paradox large enough to destroy the planet. It doesn’t matter who I am; I won’t let that happen.”
The scientist was silent for a second as he contemplated this. “Do you plan to kill me to stop me?”
“I’m giving you the chance to return to your planet in peace. Your people’s laws will be much more lenient than the Shadow Proclamation.” It wasn’t his place to dole out punishment but the Doctor couldn’t allow Matthews, or rather the alien inside of him, to escape this unnoticed. The universe would unravel if individuals started to tamper with the timelines as they pleased.
“I can’t accept that,” Matthews said after a moment.
The Doctor tugged at the restraints in frustration. His offer was fair.
“You can’t return home.” Inara spoke from her corner of the room, largely forgotten by the both of them. She still looked pale from the effects of the transmat beam but her voice was strong. Her comment was to Matthews.
When Matthews didn’t reply, Inara pushed on. “If you return home, you’ll face punishment for far worse than disrupting a timeline.”
Matthews’ gaze fell to the floor but it was confirmation enough. The Doctor glanced back at Inara. “How do you know?”
She seemed to stare past him as she spoke. “He mentioned a bounty, which means people are looking for him and that someone is desperate enough to hire help to find him. He’s also paranoid enough to lock us up for questioning. He’s on the run and planet Earth is just a hiding place.”
Companion training. Subtle hints in body language and tone might as well have been giant road signs for Inara. The Doctor wanted to grin and praise her but there was something in her expression that made him hesitate.
“You’d still send him home, wouldn’t you, Doctor?”
He didn’t reply, but he didn’t look away either.
“People have been asking you this all day: Who are you to decide?” Inara gazed right into the Doctor’s eyes. “One authority deciding what’s best for all. You have good intentions but your goals are the only ones you consider. Are you really so willing to choose the outcome of another’s fate?”
“He’s done it before.” Matthews stepped in-between the Doctor and Inara. He held Inara’s gaze briefly before turning to the Doctor. “You were the one to end the war. With one grand gesture you wiped out not one, but two races.” The scientist looked back to Inara. “So it’s fairly easy for him to end one life. I think he would hardly give pause at the thought.”
With Matthews standing in the way, the Doctor couldn’t see Inara’s reaction. This wasn’t what he had pictured if he ever decided to broach the topic to her, his actions painted so harshly. A part of him had hoped never to tell her about the Time War. “It was a necessity,” he said. “To end the war, to save the universe-”
“But is my death a necessity?” demanded Matthews, his voice rising in volume just slightly.
The room seem to choke on the tension. “It’s just one life,” Inara said quietly. “Let him be forgotten by history.” It was almost a plea.
The Doctor lay flat against the examination table, the bright lights beating down on him, like he was ready to be carved alive but he already felt exposed. He had never enjoyed the rules the other Time Lords had set out for their people but they had presented an order he could appreciate. Upholding them on his own had never been a thought that had crossed his mind over his many lifetimes.
Before they had parted, Donna told him he needed someone, another voice to give an opinion and pull him back from the edge. At the time, it was wisdom he had denied.
A few seconds passed before the Doctor spoke. “You need to destroy this death ray or halt its production. If others want the design for themselves, refuse. Let Matthews live out the rest of his life as an eccentric inventor, but you can’t interfere.”
Matthews stood up a little straighter, perceiving the Doctor’s commands. “Matthews is my host. I can remain benign but he will pick up my thoughts and think some devices are his own to invent and show.”
Assuming the alien inside of Matthews needed a host to survive, the Doctor couldn’t ask it to leave and taking another host would just confuse matters further. “Then don’t allow him to gain anything from his discoveries. I don’t want to return to Earth to find the squareness gun invented thirty centuries too soon.”
Despite the lightness of his tone, the Doctor was aware of the trust he was placing in Matthews. He only had the word of an unknown alien to go by. He wasn’t about ready to deliver someone to their death but the shape of the space time continuum had to remain constant. If Matthews didn’t follow his word total entropy was a possibility and the Doctor had already had to deal with that once.
But he didn’t want more blood on his hands either…
Without prompting, Matthews freed the Doctor and dropped the force shield around Inara. He said nothing to express his thanks, but the Doctor caught the hint of a smile as Matthews moved away.
His hands felt somewhat numb, but the Doctor cared more about Inara’s well-being at the moment. She stepped away from her corner slowly, as if she expected the shield to still be active. They came together with a handful of steps between them but no words were exchanged. The Doctor offered Inara a smile but she didn’t reciprocate. He must have looked like a completely different person to her.
“To the TARDIS?” he suggested. He felt there was so much more to be said by both of them but the words did not come.
They drifted off into the shadows of the cellar, leaving Matthews with the advanced technology as his only company.
The Doctor looked back to Matthews and fixed the man under a steely gaze. “I invoke the Universal Ratification of the Shadow Proclamation. Identify yourself.”
“I’m not familiar with this authority. Is its name supposed to frighten me?” Like he was examining a piece of machinery, Matthews cocked his head and regarded the Doctor with a detached air.
Not the response he was expecting, the Doctor fell back against the examination table. His wrists ached where the restraints held him down and his back was strained in pain from maintaining an upright position. The after effects of the transmat beam weren’t helping him to form coherent thoughts either. So rarely he felt so physically exhausted from an adventure.
“I’m addressing the entity using Harry Grindell Matthews as host,” the Doctor tried again. “You’re seeding technology on a planet unready for such an advance. You may not recognize the laws of the Shadow Proclamation but I will not let you ruin this planet or disrupt its timeline.”
The grand statement went unacknowledged. “And now you’re an authority of one? A man who believes he has such power is normally called a tyrant. Or do you fancy yourself a god?” Matthews’ tone was in no way mocking, but the Doctor could hear the incredulousness in his voice.
Being strapped to a table presented him with little dignity, but the Doctor spoke his next words with great conviction. “I’m a Time Lord.”
The only perceptible reaction from Matthews was a raised eyebrow. He seemed neither awed nor terrified at the revelation. In the very deepest recesses of his mind, the Doctor was slightly disappointed he hadn’t garnered a greater reaction. The exploits of Gallifrey were legendary, or so they used to be.
“I could never understand why you Time Lords thought you were masters of the known universe.” Matthews began a circuit around the table, forcing the Doctor to twist his neck to follow his movements.
“The universe needs order.”
“Yes, but why you? Because you mastered time travel? Thousands of species can claim that achievement.”
“But we learned from our history. Time travel doesn’t always lead to peace. We policed the universe to prevent others from destroying themselves.”
“Exactly. With the billions of lives out there, you were the only ones to step forward to claim the responsibility. Your people sought out the power because it was there for the taking. You like being in control, deciding the fate that’s best for all.”
“Is what you’re doing any different?” The statement caused Matthews to pause at the opposite corner of the examination table. “You’re guiding this planet down a path they won’t see for centuries. That’s a paradox large enough to destroy the planet. It doesn’t matter who I am; I won’t let that happen.”
The scientist was silent for a second as he contemplated this. “Do you plan to kill me to stop me?”
“I’m giving you the chance to return to your planet in peace. Your people’s laws will be much more lenient than the Shadow Proclamation.” It wasn’t his place to dole out punishment but the Doctor couldn’t allow Matthews, or rather the alien inside of him, to escape this unnoticed. The universe would unravel if individuals started to tamper with the timelines as they pleased.
“I can’t accept that,” Matthews said after a moment.
The Doctor tugged at the restraints in frustration. His offer was fair.
“You can’t return home.” Inara spoke from her corner of the room, largely forgotten by the both of them. She still looked pale from the effects of the transmat beam but her voice was strong. Her comment was to Matthews.
When Matthews didn’t reply, Inara pushed on. “If you return home, you’ll face punishment for far worse than disrupting a timeline.”
Matthews’ gaze fell to the floor but it was confirmation enough. The Doctor glanced back at Inara. “How do you know?”
She seemed to stare past him as she spoke. “He mentioned a bounty, which means people are looking for him and that someone is desperate enough to hire help to find him. He’s also paranoid enough to lock us up for questioning. He’s on the run and planet Earth is just a hiding place.”
Companion training. Subtle hints in body language and tone might as well have been giant road signs for Inara. The Doctor wanted to grin and praise her but there was something in her expression that made him hesitate.
“You’d still send him home, wouldn’t you, Doctor?”
He didn’t reply, but he didn’t look away either.
“People have been asking you this all day: Who are you to decide?” Inara gazed right into the Doctor’s eyes. “One authority deciding what’s best for all. You have good intentions but your goals are the only ones you consider. Are you really so willing to choose the outcome of another’s fate?”
“He’s done it before.” Matthews stepped in-between the Doctor and Inara. He held Inara’s gaze briefly before turning to the Doctor. “You were the one to end the war. With one grand gesture you wiped out not one, but two races.” The scientist looked back to Inara. “So it’s fairly easy for him to end one life. I think he would hardly give pause at the thought.”
With Matthews standing in the way, the Doctor couldn’t see Inara’s reaction. This wasn’t what he had pictured if he ever decided to broach the topic to her, his actions painted so harshly. A part of him had hoped never to tell her about the Time War. “It was a necessity,” he said. “To end the war, to save the universe-”
“But is my death a necessity?” demanded Matthews, his voice rising in volume just slightly.
The room seem to choke on the tension. “It’s just one life,” Inara said quietly. “Let him be forgotten by history.” It was almost a plea.
The Doctor lay flat against the examination table, the bright lights beating down on him, like he was ready to be carved alive but he already felt exposed. He had never enjoyed the rules the other Time Lords had set out for their people but they had presented an order he could appreciate. Upholding them on his own had never been a thought that had crossed his mind over his many lifetimes.
Before they had parted, Donna told him he needed someone, another voice to give an opinion and pull him back from the edge. At the time, it was wisdom he had denied.
A few seconds passed before the Doctor spoke. “You need to destroy this death ray or halt its production. If others want the design for themselves, refuse. Let Matthews live out the rest of his life as an eccentric inventor, but you can’t interfere.”
Matthews stood up a little straighter, perceiving the Doctor’s commands. “Matthews is my host. I can remain benign but he will pick up my thoughts and think some devices are his own to invent and show.”
Assuming the alien inside of Matthews needed a host to survive, the Doctor couldn’t ask it to leave and taking another host would just confuse matters further. “Then don’t allow him to gain anything from his discoveries. I don’t want to return to Earth to find the squareness gun invented thirty centuries too soon.”
Despite the lightness of his tone, the Doctor was aware of the trust he was placing in Matthews. He only had the word of an unknown alien to go by. He wasn’t about ready to deliver someone to their death but the shape of the space time continuum had to remain constant. If Matthews didn’t follow his word total entropy was a possibility and the Doctor had already had to deal with that once.
But he didn’t want more blood on his hands either…
Without prompting, Matthews freed the Doctor and dropped the force shield around Inara. He said nothing to express his thanks, but the Doctor caught the hint of a smile as Matthews moved away.
His hands felt somewhat numb, but the Doctor cared more about Inara’s well-being at the moment. She stepped away from her corner slowly, as if she expected the shield to still be active. They came together with a handful of steps between them but no words were exchanged. The Doctor offered Inara a smile but she didn’t reciprocate. He must have looked like a completely different person to her.
“To the TARDIS?” he suggested. He felt there was so much more to be said by both of them but the words did not come.
They drifted off into the shadows of the cellar, leaving Matthews with the advanced technology as his only company.